(Newser)
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The dictator who ruled with a murderous fist spent his time writing in his journal and tending to a small garden his captors allowed him in the prison courtyard. And on his execution day, the man known as "Vic" told guards to tell his daughter he was going to meet God with a clear conscience, a soldier for Iraq. CNN toured Saddam Hussein's detention cell, and reports these details of his last days.

Hussein’s cell is a small beige room, with a concrete slab to sleep on and a toilet. His writings reflect his despair as fighting raged around him. "You will feel suffocated under the skies. The days are now nights. No stars. No moon, but lots of screams,” reads one entry. But others are more reflective: "Dear nation: Get rid of the hatred, take the clothes of hate and throw it into the ocean of hatred."